Set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, The Black Arrow is an intriguing look at the life of young Richard Shelton. Richard's life is shaken when he realizes that those he had thought to be his friends are really his enemies, and he is forced to make choices that will determine the course of his life. Although the characters are well-developed and the plot is fascinating, this book is not for the squeemish or lazy reader. The description is not only vivid, it is often gorey. The language is sometimes difficult and a dictionary might prove quite handy. But anyone looking for a well-written, action-packed classic should read this book.

This book is one of the best I've read. It is what every book about the middle ages should be and more, with suspense, action, disguises, escapes, and of course, the occasional love scene. Robert Louis Stevenson lived in the mid-1800s, and is renowned for his many works, includingTreasure Island, Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, andKidnapped. The Black Arrow, written originally for a magazine, was written after a serious illness in Stevenson, and was published right after Treasure Island.

Dick Shelton, a boy of sixteen, is quickly thrust into the conflict of the War of the Roses. He battles against almost any kind of evil - bloodthirsty pirates, a murderous priest, and even his own legal gaurdian - Sir Daniel Brackley. Through the whole book Dick strives to become a knight, and to rescue his true love. The Black Arrow is a sure winner for 6th graders and up.

The Black Arrow is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite books, just as Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my all time favorite authors. I find it hard to believe that The Black Arrow is probably the least well know of his great adventure novels (the others being, of course, Treasure Island and Kidnapped), as it is certainly the best as far as I am concerned. As far as the story goes, it is one of the most entertaining plots that I have ever encountered. It is filled with more twists and turns than I would have thought possible, but remains very clear and fast paced. The characters are wonderful, as is the description and the writing itself. Granted, some of the language is a bit archaic, but I feel that this adds a lot to the authenticity of the story.
The Black Arrow is not a very easy read at first, but once you get into it it really flies by. It is as entertaining, exciting, and intriguing book as you will find, and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Moonstone is a slow-paced detective novel written in the 19th century in London, England. The Moonstone was first obtained by Colonel Herncastle who bequeaths it to his niece Miss Rachel on her sixteenth birthday. She is thrilled with her gift and sets the gem in her bedside table that night. When she awakens the next morning, the moonstone is nowhere to be found. The loss of the moonstone is told by Mr. Betteredge, a servant in Miss Rachel's house. Mr. Betteredge offers an outside opinion, as he is not directly involved in the mystery, but sees all that goes on. The rest of the book is split up into different narratives from various characters of the book. Each character's narrative is able to give the reader more pieces to the puzzle. Wilkie Collins wrote this book so well that the characters stand on their own during their narratives. Their personalities surface and are not supported by one another. This was very helpful in keeping the characters straight due to the detail and character that Collins gave them. I really liked this part of the book because all the clues to the mystery weren't given to the reader on a silver platter. Every character in the book had a separate identity. They had more purpose than just happening to be involved in the mystery.
The Moonstone is also unpredictable. Collins will lead the reader to believe and act on other facts before turning the evidence completely around and ending up with a conclusion that throws the reader for a loop. I appreciated this because it kept me reading. I found out who stole the moonstone along with the characters. It was refreshing not to know the answer and having to wait for the other characters to figure it out. I also found the little subplots that were created during the story. They showed the interactions of the characters and helped to explain the personalities of the characters even more. The only problem that I found with The Moonstone is that Collins has a lot of patience. He is content to examine every detail before moving on with the next piece to the puzzle. He also encourages his characters to wait with the solving of the mystery. It is almost exasperating to be so close in solving the mystery that only one character must be interviewed. Almost always, the character will be indisposed or out-of-town. It was a little frustrating to have to wait for the characters to return and having to read about what they had for dinner in the meantime. On a positive note, reading The Moonstone was like watching a movie. However, instead of watching the characters eat, the reader reads about it. This still only adds to the detail of the book and makes you appreciate Collins work on making sure that every element of the story is attended to. All in all, The Moonstone was a great novel, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good puzzle to solve.

The Moonstone is a cleverly contrived tale of a stolen Indian dimond which becomes the dangerous inheritance of Rachel Vendier. When the incredible dimond is stolen, for the second time, the seemimly simple case becomes a masterpiece of mystery and suspense. The novel entangles us in every page. We become lost in the emotions of the 19th century characters. When the mystery begins to unfold, we delieghtedly press on, only to find that Collins has outwitted us again. Collins has an amazing talent for assuming a variety of narrative voices, which keep the reader envolved with the individual characters. Each new clue elicits thousands of questions, arousing in the reader, a desire to read on and on. The Moonstone is the most outstanding cassic detective mystery novel ever written.

Whatever I say would not be enough to make you understand how I loose myself when reading this detective story.Actually this was my first try at a book written in that manner. But more or less I know Holmes' way of presenting crime and mysterious events. Moonstone goes far beyond the limit of these cliche detective scope and reaches to your hearts with its seven different characters;all narrating their own side of the story centering on an oriental myth of a sacred gem. There is the historical background, the emotional diologues, and finally the inevitable conciseness in language while dictating the action, just like in all detective stories. Wilkie Collins' touch can be seized when you go deep into characters such as Ezra Jennings. There is lot of things to be explored and make fun of! Don't be afraid of the length and page number:). When you follow the moonstone in its journey to home, you WILL DISCOVER OTHER THINGS SUCH AS LOVE, HUMAN SUFFERING other than the war given for the priceless Indian DiamOnd.
Best Wishes On Your Journey Whoever You Are Wherever You ARE!

My appreciation of Billy Collins's work has been a process of conversion. "Sailing Alone..." provides an excellent case for him as our current national poet laureate.

Three poems immediately stood out and spoke to me at a visceral level: "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House," "The Rival Poet," and "Insomnia" (there are two versions). The latter poem was significant to me because of its recurrent instantiation as a concept. As a lover of books, I love Collins's "Books": "From the heart of this dark, evacuated campus / I can hear the library humming in the night...I see all of us reading ourselves away from ourselves, / Straining in circles of light to find more light...." Also, "My Number" and "The Dead" are negotiations and whimsical meditations on Death.

Collins is a poet's poet. He often talks about the arts of writing and teaching poetry. Every poet and many readers will understand the intrinsic value of "The Best Cigarette," "Monday Morning" with the pen-chewing student, and "Victoria's Secret." Anyone who's read Wordsworth a hundred times over will appreciate "Lines Composed 3,000 Miles From Tintern Abbey," or those with a Dickinson bent, "Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes." An "Afternoon with Irish Cows," will perhaps remind you of a W.C. Williams or Sandburg.

Collins's verse is uniquely American. It rings true as the best of Bukowski and is as insightfully simple as a WC Williams or Merwin.

Billy Collins is a poet of body and soul, someone who knows the bite and pleasure of a turn of phrase that enlivens like a shot of pretty-good Irish whisky. "American" is too narrow a designation for poems whose aim is to direct us to the truly human--the whimsical and the sorrowful, the oddly-tough animal underlying that humanity. For those who, like Collins, have the mantle and designation of "master poet" bestowed upon them repeatedly the trick is to earn that praise. Billy Collins has certainly earned whatever well-intentioned men and women may say of him, especially the good: his is a finely honed voice and, at times, that voice wickers into a wonderfully quirky track of experience that never excludes the accidental and fleeting. One cannot say enough about such good and decent men, or their works.

You may find yourself reading critically acclaimed poetry in "The New York Review of Books" and other highbrow literary journals, only to think, "This stuff is horrible!" So you pick up your dog-eared copy of Keats, Shelley, or Byron, and read those more familiar odes of yesteryear, lamenting that today's poets are too alien to enjoy. It's not that you're not intelligent or avant-garde enough; it's just that the poetry of today really is bizarre.

For you, reader, I recommend Billy Collins. He is critically acclaimed indeed--the Library of Congress' U.S. Poet Laureate, in fact--but he is also approachably good. Like Garrison Keillor, Mr. Collins understands the value of writing funny, and his dry, New York wit punctuates each verse like a breath of fresh air. When I first heard him read his poetry on NPR, I realized that there really is good poetry being written out there in America. Collins is the real thing, and it's writers like him that are bringing poetry back to popularity. I truly admire his work, and you will too.

As an Indian American I figured it was about time I learned some of the basics of India's struggle for independence and the partitioning of the country. Freedom at Midnight describes the 1947 through early 1948 time period, when a couple decades of revolutionary efforts by Gandhi et al finally resulted in Britain's decision to leave India. Alas, the parting wasn't as quick and easy as hoped for. While the struggle for independence had unified the Hindus and Moslems of India to some extent, when it was won their ancient animosity for each other led to tensions that caused the leaders to partition the country and later erupted into some of the most appalling and senseless slaughter of the century.

Although the book begins with a few flashbacks into the backgrounds of the major characters, the focus is on 1947. So you won't learn more than the essential history of Gandhi's peaceful revolution or details of the growing distrust between the Hindu and Moslem segments of the population that the British in the 1940s were barely able to keep from exploding into bloodshed. What you will get is a very well-written and moving account of India's final viceroyalty under Lord Mountbatten, the fall of the maharajas, the helplessness of Nehru and Patel in the chaos of late 1947, the agony of the Punjab during the mass migrations between the two countries, Gandhi's assassination, and a few other topics. From the acknowledgments and chapter notes at the end of the book it's evident that the subject matter was thoroughly researched, mostly from primary sources. Certainly, many of the conversations and descriptions must be fictional but the general historical accuracy of the material is highly credible.

Freedom at Midnight is a long book considering the relatively short time period covered. Weighing in at around 520 pages (not including the ending notes), I feel that it was a bit much. About 250 pages would have been adequate for solid and well-written coverage of the material. The authors chose to add a lot of "color" to the story, as in dramatization. Lord Mountbatten is certainly made out to be a superman who can do it all. We are treated to in-depth coverage of the maharajas' excesses. Probably too much is made of Gandhi's Spartan habits. Numerous case studies of unfortunate Hindus and Moslems caught in the bloodshed are interesting but largely unnecessary to the account. Finally, the plot against Gandhi's life is very interesting but, again, told in more detail with more drama than was strictly necessary for enjoyable yet informative reading. I'll say this though: it never gets boring.

Overall, recommended to all readers who enjoy history but don't a mind a bit of drama added into the mix! Make sure you get a copy that has photographic plates in it; the photos are well-selected and augment the story well.

I found this book captivating. Since I work with more than 20 Indians and one Pakistani, I was able to discuss the events in the book at length with them. One of my friends' father barely escaped death on one of the trains fleeing Pakistan. He and his brother have bullet wounds to show. The Pakistani's father also narrowly escaped death while leaving India for Pakistan. Two of the Indians decided to read the book with me. All agree that the book is accurate. It was very emotional for me to read of the atrocities and understand the personalities involved. My Indian friends experienced even more intense emotion as the read of the experiences of their parents.
One of the other customer reviews stated that the book made Montbatten look too good. My Indian friends disagree. Montbatten was a great man. The book might have underrated him, if anything.
The book also shows several sides of Gandi that most Westerners are not exposed to. He is still a great soul, though.
This book will change you. At least read the first 100 pages before you make a decision -- it'll draw you in.

I can only say that this book is really splendid. It is like all history books should be: it describes historical events and portrays the personality of the persons that played a role in it, but it also concentrates on the common people that lived in that time, on their dreams, on their beliefs...
And this last part is surely what makes of this book a great book: the fascinating diversity of the indian religions, the manifold of colours and scents of India are depicted vividly.
And also very vivid are the personalities who appear in this book, the "little" ones as good as the "big" ones.
For example the figure of Gandhi is depicted in all his greatness and spiritual authority, but also the strange parts of his character are shown. The same for Nehru or for Mountbatten. And in this way all the meetings of this persons become like the scenes in a thrilling novel.
If you read this book you'll learn to love India like I do!

A genuine gripe of Third Edition D&D was its tendency to create seriously powerful player characters who were (to use the phrase) "All powered-up with nowhere to go." Having climbed sunshine mountain, high level PCs were given little to do but build a stronghold and start writing their memoirs.

Well, put down the inkwell, Hrothgar, a 200 foot tall spider just ate half the city.

The Epic Level Handbook opens up a universe of possibilities for established heroes, and gives Dungeon Masters rules they can run with. Six chapters of pure brain candy, plus three crunchy Appendices to wash them down. Oh, this is the book your high level characters have been waiting for...

The book starts off with the character progression rules and Epic Prestige classes. The rules are straightforward, clean, and thoroughly explained. Full marks to the "Behind the Curtain" segments in this chapter - explaining the whys behind the rules is very important when your telling a 21st level barbarian why his base attack bonus will never increase again. Epic versions of the standard classes are provided (ho-hum), but new prestige classes (like the Agent Retriever) are also provided. These new additions provide not only new paths, but (more importantly) examples on how to make your own prestige classes. Custom classes can define campaign worlds as well as campaigns - and the tools provided here are the building blocks of anything you could want. I'll just mention one of the many Epic Feats: Permanent Emanation (make an emanation spell of yours permanent...ah the possibilities...).

The chapter on epic spells provides the rules for creating magic that does things that Archmages would sell their quasit for. Epic spells cost mucho dinero to research, have Spellcraft DCs beyond the reach of mortals, and serious XP costs. Are they worth it? You betcha. Stuff like, oh I don't know...Permanent spell reflection, summon ten adult red dragons to attack your foes, you get the idea. They even give you the spell to make demi-planes of existence...I mean, how cool is that? Better still, the chapter details seed spells, which are the ingredients in a "build-your-own-spell-buffet." Don't like the epic spells in the book? Well, make yer own, smart guy.

The book comes into its own with chapter three: how to run high-level campaigns. Having the rules and the tools is one thing, but knowing good ways to use them is quite another. The best concept in the world can be ruined if the DM isn't prepared for the radical differences high levels make in game play. A whole section is devoted to advising the DM about coping with the various divination spells that WILL be used in an epic campaign. Given that a high-level adventure can tank because of a single oversight by the DM, this section is manna from above. Other sections in this chapter detail problems specific to high level campaigns ("Managing Wealth," "Handling Wish," and "Dealing with Time Stop") and provide well thought out options to economize on dice rolling. Alternate rules for dealing with natural 1s and 20s in combat, as well as tailoring the "Massive Damage" rule for epic campaigns are intelligently presented and well explained. Thespians may balk at the blunt language of this chapter, but game balance is all about rules and numbers - and the WoTC folks have written this chapter with an honest appraisal of the issues that will affect your campaign.

Finally, the book is stuffed with the things that epic world are made of: New magic items of world shattering power; Non-Player Characters who can level cities with a harsh thought; and monsters whose mere presence can make Odin die of fear. (Ok, maybe not Odin...but they're pretty awful). Consider the Dragon, Advanced: AC of 70 Damage resistance of 35/+6, oh and their bite attack is at +77; did I mention that isn't even the BAD one? The Epic Dragons are much, much worse... (oh and that giant spider, I wasn't kidding - Poison save of 94 and 2d12 CON damage, twice...*shudder*).The monsters, spells and toys are all nice, but the best things about this book are the game mechanics. With these rules, you can take your players into levels that were unheard of before, and the rules can create challenges that will keep it interesting for everyone.

If you're interested in playing your character beyond level 20, these rules will more than keep pace with you. Hat's off to Mr. Collins, Mr. Cordell, and Wizards of the Coast.
A marvelous capstone to the core rules. I for one, can't wait to put it to use.

Uh lessee here... Uvuudaum, Large Outsider CR 27....hmmm

Now we finally know what's on the other side of the 20th-level wall.

This sourcebook, a mammoth tome if there ever was one, is all about D&D characters after 20th level. It includes character information, new magic, new items, advice on running epic-level games, new monsters, and a new campaign setting designed for epic-level play.

The heart of the book is the character section, detailing all sorts of options for people to try after 20th level. They've looked at classes, core *and* prestige (from DMG), and tried to find patterns to extrapolate from. Those that don't have easily extrapolable abilities get more feats than those that do. It does seem that they try to ignore some things...rogues, for example, get no more special abilities, though that's clearly a pattern starting at 10th level. They also include suggestions on how to advance other prestige classes not in the DMG.

Next, we have epic skills and feats. Well, the epic skill section is a list of new possible checks to make, such as the Balance DC-120 check to walk on a cloud. The epic feats are a mixed bag; some are really cool, others aren't. They do tend to assume that people play in a certain pattern...for example, druids are assumed to focus on shapeshifting, and clerics to focus on positive/negative energy channeling. It's written conservatively, with suggestions that if you want to change something, do so.

Next, we have epic spells and magic items. Epic spells require research and experience to create, and a Spellcraft roll to cast, but are often worth it...like Nailed to the Sky, which puts the target in orbit, or Contingent Resurrection, which resurrects the target if s/he dies. Epic magic items are also interesting; most of the wondrous items and weapons are extrapolations from previous items (i.e. gloves of +12 Str), but the rods and staves are very creative. There are also a few new artifacts, most of which are actually reprints. Interestingly, arcane casters can make items more easily than divine, which may or may not be intended.

Now, the most fun part of the book...monsters! After all, your epic-level character needs something to fight that isn't another character, right? So, now we have official 3e stats for things like the Demilich, the Winter Wight, and the Blackball (aka a high-speed, homing, teleporting sphere of annihilation). There are new monsters, like the colossus (really, really BIG golems), and a variant pseudonatural template (which jacks the CR of a creature up by 10-15 points!). A new type of monster is the abomination, which is the disfigured offspring of a deity and...something else, like the infernal, born from a deific/infernal or abyssal union, or the anaxim, a twisted mechanical creation. These tend to be mean.

Advice for running epic-level games is given, including official sanction of making the PCs pay for overly creative abuse of the Wish spell, but in general encouraging fun. The new setting is an interplanar city, called Union, full of portals and potential adventure. I think they might've gotten better results with Sigil (from Planescape), but Union works too. An introductory adventure is included, and ELH stats for high-level Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk characters are included.

All in all, this is a very good book. You'll need it sometime. However, be aware it tends to be kind of conservative, and that you may wish to jack the power up even more.

If you're like me, the first thought you have when you see this book is "It's for munchins" - y'know, those folks who pack twenty or so +6 vorpal swords, cast wish by the truckload and slay the Tarrasque by breathing heavily on it.
Well, that's not what the Epic Handbook is about. It's amazing well-balanced and presents information and tools for characters who are the stuff of legends - Hercules, Achilles, Cu Cuchulain, Arthur Pendragon and the like. Not only are there tools to grant PC's some mighty impressive abilities, but there arelong spreads on info about foes to face such legendary heroes and a good section on how to keep it all in perspective and keep the level of power from getting out of hand.
The book certainly isn't for everyone. Characters who attain the levels in this book are mighty powerful compared to what most player's and DM's are used to in a normal campaign. D&D has never attempted to handle such legendary abilities, and it takes a special mindset to accomodate such play. Slapdash use of the rules can quickly bury a campaign, and in truth, most groups burn out before Epic levels are reached.
Still, it can be fun to strap on the Aegis of Athena, take up Excaliber, travel to the City on the Edge of the Abyss and go smite a demilich - if you think you're fool-hardy enough to try...

Picnic, Lightning was the first book of Billy Collins' that I read. I bought it because I flipped open the book to "buzzing around the house on espresso" and that Victoria's Secret poem. After I took the book home and read it a few times, I realized how much I liked Collins' poetry for its kindness. There certainly is the kind of poetry which freezes a moment in your life and then breaks it. However, my thirst for poetry requires a lot of variation--I can't always be on some lyric cusp. Picnic, Lightning has enough depth to encourage me and enough lightness to hold my everyday, and a care for words that holds my interest. Plus it's funny. This book holds down a unique place in my life. Perhaps this is no dark tunnel and crashing entry back into the light, but it's Wednesday (again) and I need something between lunch and dinner that makes sense.

Billy Collins is the wittiest poet around. Period. His work, as John Updike says, is more serious than it seems. Collins crowds his poems with the world of material things, and unflinchingly celebrates the earth. His poems are of humanity, and the earth finally. And, all the poems in this book radiate like a sun, in different seasons, at different times of night and day, and nourish the earth, and us.

"Marginalia" is a beautiful poem about our need to connect to one another, evidenced by reading what people have written in the margins of library books. Very moving.

"Japan" is a masterpiece poem that is haikuesque in style, but is not haiku, and is truly exquisite in the compression and power it uses to render its passion in tercets ....

"The Death of The Hat" is a fine poem that begins by musing over the fact that modern men no longer wear hats ... and ends by memorializing the speaker's father ... a great poem!

These poems are absolutely fabulous! All of them are great.

This is GREAT poetry from a GREAT poet, who as of a couple weeks ago, has become our nation's Poet Laureate. I recommend this book to everybody.

Billy Collins has become one of my favorite poets with this beautiful work of poetry. His work is modern and free verse. With spare wording he manages to expand on many facets of everyday life. His work deals with making the ordinary extraordinary, interesting, sparkling, intriguing, or slightly uncomfortable. He makes you think and feel about subjects you might not normally contemplate. For example, in "I Go Back to the House for a Book" he writes about going back to grab something before heading to an appointment, while an alternate him doesn't go back. Forever they move, only seconds, inches apart, brushing but never touching--until, perhaps, the alternate pauses while he goes one, and they become one again. I would reccomend Collins's poetry to anyone who enjoys modern poetry that is understandable and accessible, yet makes you think and see life in new ways.

The Catholic Study Bible is one of the best study bibles for students and scholars of biblical criticism. The biggest asset: the extensive Reading Guides, which are very helpful for gaining a historical perspective and general background on all books of the bible. The New American Bible translation and footnotes are understandable enough, but this study bible lacks an important feature: an index or concordance. This study bible is recommended mainly for those in serious critical bible study, not those in mainstream Christianity.

The Catholic Study Bible is one of the best study bibles for students and scholars of biblical criticism. The biggest asset is the extensive Reading Guides which are very helpful for gaining a historical perspective and general background on all books of the bible. The New American Bible translation and footnotes are understandable enough, but this study bible lacks an important feature: an index or concordance. This study bible is recommended mainly for those in serious critical bible study, not normally for the mainstream Christian.

The beauty of this NAB is that it offers two services in one. First, it is a faithful translation of the ancient and ever-new inspired scriptures. This is the product of the finest Catholic Biblical scholars in the English-speaking world today. Secondly, it provides helpful footnotes and excellent introductory articles which offer readers an orientation to the Bible ingeneral, contemporary study and scholarly conclusions, as well as a sketch of the issues and background that concern each book of the Bible. I differ with the two other reviewers above in regard to this Bible. I believe it is not only for the serious scholar, but indeed can help the new Bible reader and the "average" reader appreciate the Scriptures more deeply. This version of the Bible can help support Catholic Christians, and Christians of any denomination by helping them to appreciate the important place of the Bible in their life of faith, and to incorparate this timeless wisdom into their everyay life more faithfully. I have found it helpful personally in my own study, and I always recommend it to people who ask what Bible they might purchase.

It was a typical Jackie Collins book, a little perdictable but a great book. It was a real page turner, I sat up late one night because I couldn't wait to see how it ends. I can't wait for her next book to come out. I understand it's in September, to long as far as I'm concerned.

I had never read a Jackie Collins book before, so I decided to start with her most recent work. By the first chapter I was hooked, and managed to finsih the book within three days. The reason for this being because it is such a brilliant read. There is mystery, suspension, desire, lust... everything you want in a book. What more could you ask for. It's just an excellent, excellent, excellent book. In fact probably the best book I have ever read. I decided to read another of her books after, and this seemed to be very similar to Thrill, but is also a very easy read. Keep up the good work Jackie, because never before have I read such an addicitive, clever, witty, and brilliant book as this one.

Jackie Collins has done it again, with another book that can't be put down once you have started to read it. She keeps you guessing almost to the very end, who the mystery man is. After a ways into the book, I figured Lara would end up with Joey in the end, but I didn't want her to until almost the very end, when he told his side of his life, then I wanted them to be together. The ending is very suspensful, with many different storylines all going on at once, which kept me reading until late into the night to finish. When I was finally done, I was ready for another new Jackie Collins book, because I have read them all. This is definitely a must read!

When I was in 8th grade, I picked up Jackie Collin's Lucky and devoured it in 2 sittings. It was fast paced, sexy, and fun. 25 years later, I thought it might be fun to read her again for some summer fun. Sadly, I have to report that this is one of the WORST novels I have ever read. The plot is entirely silly. Despite being English, the author's command of the English language is dubious at best. But the worst part of all is that this novel is not FUN. And that's what it should be. Her characters are so one dimensional/stereotypical that I have more compassion for Dick... in the See Dick Run series. Even the sex scenes, of which there are few, are boring. The only bright side which is why I've rated the novel a star over 1 is the blind items she scatters throughout the novel. For a light, sexy, fun summer read look elsewhere... and if you like blind items, try the online gossip columns. But leave this novel on the shelf.

Granted, Jackie Collins is not the best writer in the world, and she doesn't pretend to be. Her characters are cliched and their dialogue is at times painful to read. What she does write here, however, is a juicy page turner, a delicious guilty pleasure. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next, and when I got to the end I was satisfied, yet sad that the adventure was over. This is definitely one of Collins' best novels in a long time. Still, nothing has been able to top the original Hollywood Wives for interesting characters, shocking surprises and jaw-dropping twists and turns.

Oh my gosh! Hollywood Wives the New Generation was my first Jackie Collins book, and what a way to hook me in! I usually don't read romance novels but I just couldn't put this one down. The characters were more outlandish and scandalous than I ever could imagine but it was fun to get caught up in the lives of Lissa, Nicci, Gregg, and the rest of the crew. The book was yummy and definitely not my last Jackie Collins book. I am going to read all of them, I only hope they can live up to Hollywood Wives!

I just returned from a month in India, traveling with both the Lonely Planet (9th ed.) and Rough Guide (3rd ed.) If you are considering a long trip across the breadth of India, I would strongly suggest taking BOTH books. The Lonely Planet is great for practical details (train times, phone numbers, etc.) but spends too much space reviewing individual restaurants and hotels. Even though the book tops out over 1000 pages, the sections devoted to actually explaining the sights and the wonderful culture and history of India are very short.

In contrast, the Rough Guide spends much more space discussing the background and culture of individual locations, and is packed with lots of interesting details not found in the Lonely Planet. The RG spends less space on restaurant/hotel reviews, which was perfectly fine - I'd rather know more about the places I'm visiting than worry how much chicken shahjani costs at some particular restaurant.

The tone and approach of the books are different too - the RG takes a much more optimistic, romantic view of India, while the LP is often so terse and cynical that it doesn't really inspire you to visit many wonderful places.

Get the LP for the listings. Get the RG to appreciate the beauty of India.

This edition of "Lonely Planet India" is better than the previous one, which was very very good itself. Despite the immensity of India and the numberless topics and regions that therefore have to be covered, the authors have done an excellent job indeed. Some weaknesses are inevitable, and this is perhaps why this is not one of LP's masterpieces, but it is indeed inevitable for travel guidebooks to be the better, the smaller the region they cover - this is why this book should perhaps be complemented with the individual LP guides to different Indian regions. But in itself, this book does cover most of what a visitor will need or want to know. And in a place that is chaotic and tough for foreigners like India, this may indeed be an essential tool for the less experienced travellers. The coverage of places to stay and eat is absolutely excellent, not just for the major cities but also for minor towns and sites (the authors would indeed seem to have been on every single square foot of land in India !). The section on permits and other legal matters is of immense value to anyone, and well up-to-date. And of course, the sections and special chapters on history, culture, religion, are extremely well written, great for the traveller and the armchair reader alike. Even though the best discoveries are those a traveller will make herself / himself, this guidebook is surely a great tool and help in anyone's discovery of this wonderful land. All in all, a masterpiece despite its limitations. A weakness is of course that things being as they are in India, information is subject to change, and some may have become out-of-date by the time this book was printed. But this is of course inevitable, and it simply means that - as in any country - a traveller should not rely on only a guidebook, but make a considerable effort to grasp as much as possible of current circumstances on her / his own.

I used the 98 edition while travelling in Sept/Oct 99 and found it extremely informative even though the prices were outdated. Prices may change overnight but 1,000 year-old temple ruins probably won't. It did seem as though every other traveler (and hotel owner and rickshaw driver...) owned a copy, yet it provided an excellent orientation to the places I visited and served as a great reference tool for further exploration.

The maps were better than anything I found locally and the cultural info was very helpful.

The book is bulky/heavy but tearing out key sections can easily solve this. I cut my book in half this way and got lots of envious stares from others lugging their entire LP or Rough Guide around and actually referring to maybe a third of it.

Get this book, get the LP Hindi-Urdu phrase book, but skip the LP travel atlas unless you want to walk across India.